TONY JONES, PRESENTER: The Abbott Government is expecting the carbon tax to be history in a matter of weeks after the House of Representatives voted today to repeal it. And the Coalition is moving swiftly to accommodate Clive Palmer's demands on climate change policy.

CLIVE PALMER, LEADER, PALMER UNITED PARTY: Let's be realistic about it: we need a global solution.

ANNA HENDERSON: Some of the reviews of Clive Palmer's celebrity launch are in.

DENNIS JENSEN, LIBERAL MP: I don't know what the end game for either Clive Palmer or Al Gore is. I mean, it's a very strange relationship.

NICK XENOPHON, INDEPENDENT SENATOR: This place is getting more like Alice in Wonderland every day. This is a case of curiouser and curiouser.

ANNA HENDERSON: Just months ago, Clive Palmer was a climate sceptic. Now he's been converted by former US Vice President Al Gore.

AL GORE, FORMER US VICE PRESIDENT: Australia has been one of the leaders in the world. Australia's decisions are in flux now. I'm encouraged and optimistic.

ANNA HENDERSON: Clive Palmer is now advocating for an emissions trading scheme and to keep a string of climate agencies. He'll also block the Government's plans to dismantle the Renewable Energy Target.

But the Palmer United Party will deliver crucial support for the repeal of the carbon tax, so long as consumer protections are enshrined in law.

The reaction has been swift. The Government pushed the repeal bills through the Lower House late today. But with a significant amendment: the keep the Clean Energy Finance Corporation.

TONY BURKE, MANAGER OF OPPOSITION BUSINESS: I draw the attention of the House to the words of the Prime Minister before the election. "There will not be deals done with the independents and minor parties under any political movement that I lead." "There are no dodgy, done-in-the-dark deals under the Coalition."

ANNA HENDERSON: Labor tried and failed to move amendments of its own.

GREG HUNT, ENVIRONMENT MINISTER: Whatever changes you want to make, mate, it's still a carbon tax. We don't support it, we're not going to vote for it, we're going to abolish it.

ANNA HENDERSON: The Government wants the bills through the Senate within weeks.

The news made for a cheery meeting between Clive Palmer and the Prime Minister today.

CLIVE PALMER: I smiled at the Prime Minister when I met him, and when you smile at someone, they smile back at you. And hopefully there you can see into their soul that there's a meeting of common purpose.

ANNA HENDERSON: The pair haven't sat down together for two years and Mr Palmer says the last meeting was adversarial.

CLIVE PALMER: Well I did swear and I would say now that I did say a number of four-lettered words.

ANNA HENDERSON: That's water under the bridge now.

TONY ABBOTT, PRIME MINISTER: The Member for Fairfax is absolutely right: abolishing the carbon tax will make our industries more competitive and it will make our people's lives more manageable. And I do look forward to working with the Member for Fairfax.

ANNA HENDERSON: But once the carbon tax is repealed, what will Australia's climate policy be?

CLIVE PALMER: The RET will still be in place. You know, Mr Abbott was to have a Direct Action, remove the RET. We think the RET's more effective.

ANNA HENDERSON: A growing chorus argue that's not enough.

CHRISTINE MILNE, GREENS LEADER: If circumstances don't change, Australia will be left with no Direct Action plan, no carbon price and no emissions trading scheme.

ERIC ABETZ, GOVERNMENT SENATE LEADER: We will do that which is necessary to implement Direct Action and that might mean some legislation, it might need some funding, it might need some regulation.

ANNA HENDERSON: Confusion remains about why Clive Palmer's supporting the repeal of the carbon tax without leveraging the Government to put in place an emissions trading scheme, seemingly leaving Al Gore to support the death of Australia's price on carbon, at least in the short term.

CLIVE PALMER: I don't accept defeat. I want to change the world. I make this a better planet for all of us to live on. So I think we can go to Paris, we can come away with Paris with the support Al Gore and Ban Ki-moon and the United Nations and come up with a global solution and then we can implement it quickly.

ANNA HENDERSON: That's a tight deadline to move international will. The United Nations Climate Change Conference will be held in Paris next year.